Isuzu MU Reviews from Australia and New Zealand

1990 Isuzu MU 2.8 turbo diesel

Summary:

Good car, despite the oil leak, which could put my opinion in doubt

Faults:

Oil leaking from engine; I suspect it's coming from the top near the rocker cover gasket and valve seals. However, it looks like the oil has spread around the outside of head, block and sump, which makes it hard to say exactly where the leak is.

Handbrake playing up; Tends to be very stiff and tight, and hardly holds its brake on a medium slope.

General Comments:

This car is very practical and great for the mountains; hence the 4x4.

1993 Isuzu MU 2.8 turbo diesel

Summary:

Solid, reliable, and well worth your money

Faults:

Absolutely nothing. Brilliant vehicle, well worth my time. The Mu really surprised me when it came to off road prowess and highway cruising, though hot QLD weather can affect the low end take off performance of this vehicle only on hot days. (rectified with an intercooler for those living in hot areas like North QLD).

General Comments:

This vehicle is smooth, easy to handle, has a smooth ride, and is a pleasure to take on long trips. It takes care of business off road with some surprising torque from such a compact 4x4, puts Aussie built 4x4's of the same class to absolute shame.

The car was made in '93. I updated the rear tail/brake lights to the Altezza upgrades found at some wreckers and on eBay, and people constantly mistake the car for a modern 2000+ make.

14th Apr 2008, 01:46

Hey there, I'm looking at buying a MU. It's a 1993. Now they have said it's a 3.1 turbo diesel; do 1993s come like that or are they just 2.8? It's done 184,000kms and it's manual. Any feed back you can give me would be very helpful. Thanks.

1991 Isuzu MU 2.8 diesel turbo

Summary:

Faults:

An exhaust manifold bolt came lose causing it to warp at about 100,000km. This was removed and planed and the bolt replaced.

The A/C unit has just packed up.

General Comments:

The MU has taken a fair bit of punishment off road. I have used it to drive high speed offroad race tracks prior to getting in the race car, and also done a fair bit of 4 wheel driving where it performed well in both.

On road it wallows around a bit when cornering.

It accelerates well.

I regularly use it to tow my off road race car to race meetings. I fold the rear seats up and load the back with tools, spares, a jack, and fuel. That's about 200kg in the back and 1100kg behind (race car and trailer). It tows well, but that's about it's limit, anymore and she struggles.

I see myself with the same car for another 5 years, and if for some reason she dies or gets stolen I'd probably get another one.

1992 Isuzu MU 2.8 turbo diesel

Summary:

My wife's only competitor

Faults:

It has had a leaking main rear oil seal since soon after I purchased it, but apart from a dirty garage floor this has caused no dramas. I was advised not to get it fixed until the clutch needed replacing.

The front hubs had seized in the unlocked position and would not engage the one time I needed 4WD, but it was very easy to dismantle, lubricate and re-assemble the hub without even taking the wheels off!

General Comments:

This car has towed a 750kg rated camper trailer to Carnarvon and Cania Gorges, and on to the gem fields around Emerald, going off road to get to special digging sites, as well as out through Thargomindah & Innaminka, along the Strzelecki track to Camerons Corner, then up through the Sturt National Park and so on. It has also made a couple of highway trips to Sydney and some local 4WD tracks around the Gold Coast hinterland.

It has not missed a beat during this time, the worst thing to happen was a puncture at the end of one of the trips and the stainless steel bull bar cracking due to being incorrectly mounted.

It covers around 1,000km per tankful with general driving (I do 70km round trip a day to work), gets an oil change every 5,000km and a filter change every 10,000km.

25th Nov 2009, 03:01

Hi, my 1991 Mu auto has a small oil leak from the rear seal. 1 drip every 3 to 4 days. My mechanic said it will cost $500 + tax to fix. Plus it could be more if he finds anything else when it's open. Now my Mu drives very well, nothing else seems to be wrong with it. Should I fix the leak or just leave it until I need to fix it? I bought the Mu about 3 months ago, and before me it was not cared for very well. I am fixing it up to its original condition.

15th Jan 2010, 07:27

Gday, I have recently bought a 1992 MU, and oddly enough, I drove it 50 km from the place of purchase before it dropped all the oil out of the rear main seal. I had a mechanic fix the seal, only to have the same thing happen one week later. After lots of money and swearing, I had the head taken off to reveal cracked pistons, which pressurised the oil in the sump, blowing out the seal.

I've currently replaced the engine and fitted an intercooler off a 98 Jackaroo to it.

This car is beautiful to drive, and I have plenty of power. Best car I've driven.